San Miguel braces for fired-up TNT as old Finals rivalry takes center stage again

History looms large as San Miguel Beer and TNT Tropang 5G find themselves back on a familiar collision course, with pride, payback, and unfinished business shaping the narrative of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals.

Fresh off a convincing 101–88 closeout of Barangay Ginebra in Game 6 of the semifinals, the Beermen know the next challenge won’t simply be about talent or tactics. For head coach Leo Austria, the danger lies in the motivation TNT brings into yet another championship showdown.

“I think they are thinking how to get back at us,” Austria said after the win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

That sense of looming retaliation is rooted in recent memory. Just a season ago, San Miguel denied TNT the Philippine Cup crown in six games, a defeat that also crushed the MVP Group flagship’s bid for a rare Grand Slam. It was a familiar wound for TNT, echoing a painful chapter from 2011 when a Petron Blaze-led San Miguel side — powered by Arwind Santos — once again spoiled the Tropang Texters’ championship dreams.

Now, with both franchises once more standing at the sport’s biggest stage, the rivalry carries added emotional weight.

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San Miguel earned the rematch by putting away the league’s most popular team, thanks largely to CJ Perez’s explosive 41-point outing — a career-high performance that underlined the Beermen’s ability to find firepower from unexpected places.

Yet despite the momentum, Austria is far from complacent. The veteran coach is keenly aware of TNT’s championship pedigree and the confidence that comes from sustained success.

“Alam naman natin how hard it is to defeat TNT, especially with their experience in the last three conferences. They were in the Finals,” he said.

What gives Austria reassurance heading into the best-of-seven series, which tips off Wednesday, is the identity his team has quietly built. With June Mar Fajardo nursing shoulder concerns, the spotlight has shifted toward San Miguel’s supporting cast — and they have responded.

Don Trollano, Jeron Teng, and Mo Tautua’a have all delivered timely contributions, turning depth into a defining advantage rather than a contingency plan.

“That’s very important for any team. If you noticed every game namin, yung won games namin, iba’t iba ‘yung nagiging Best Player of the Game,” Austria explained.

“That’s a sign na ang bench ay kailangang-kailangan. Talagang nagpe-perform sila eh, to the point na yung trust ko sa kanila, nae-enjoy nila,” he added.

“It’s a sign for them to be confident and inspired sa ginagawa namin.”

As the Finals stage is set once more, San Miguel prepares not just for TNT’s schemes, but for a rival fueled by memory and motivation. For fans, it’s another chapter in a rivalry defined by heartbreak, dominance, and the thin line separating revenge from repeat.

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